At least 14 pilgrims trampled to death in Mina market area

Published February 11th, 2003 - 02:00 GMT

At least 14 pilgrims were trampled to death Tuesday when some worshippers tripped amid a jostling crowd during a ritual of the annual Muslim pilgrimag

At least 14 pilgrims were trampled to death Tuesday when some worshippers tripped amid a jostling crowd during a ritual of the annual Muslim pilgrimage in which the faithful throw stones at pillars representing the devil's temptations.

Tuesday morning, one group of pilgrims had finished the stoning and was leaving the site when they met another group in a Mina market area, swelling the crowd to dangerous proportions, said Hajj security director Brig. Abdel Aziz bin Mohammed bin Said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Some pilgrims fell and were killed by the crush of people around them. "A lot of overcrowding took place, some of them fell on the ground, which lead to the death of 14 pilgrims," bin Said said.

Three Indians, four Pakistanis, two Egyptians, an Iranian and a Yemeni were among the dead. The other three had not yet been identified. (Albawaba.com)